Legal Lynching

The Death Penalty and America 's Future

By: Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rep.Jesse L. Jackson Jr and Bruce Shapiro

Revue by Christine Hasan

Legal Lynching sets out to explore the basic issues of the Death Penalty in the United States of America. Ranging from the history of capital punishment, dating back to the middle-ages, to the ethics of execution, the authors also engage the debate that rages around the issue to this day. 
It is both succinct and eloquent, citing many cases of unforgivable miscarriages of justice and the results of numerous studies showing that the ultimate punishment's only effect on the murder rate, is that it eliminates certain criminals from the gene pool!
The authors raise many questions and ethical issues that need to be solved. Bringing The Sleeping Lawyer Syndrome to prominence, they delve into the realms of sleeping lawyers and known innocents sent to the death chamber because 'it was simpler'!
If you have the time or inclination to read only one book on Capital Punishment and Death Penalty issues, then Legal Lynching is probably a very good choice for you.
In the book the iniquities of the American Justice System are dealt with in a bold and eminently believable manner. They point out that the death penalty owes little to the cause of justice; rather that it is a political issue. 
Also expressed is the horrifying concept, that defendants from lower socioeconomic groupings, especially those who are indigent and those not of the Caucasian race cannot expect, even in the 21st century, to receive equality in defense or trial with those who can afford a top ranking lawyer and who are also Caucasian!
A rich man on Death Row is as rare as a snowstorm in July in California! 
Unfortunately on a personal level, I found it boring beyond belief. I made excuses to put the book down and not return to it for days at a time.
It was more readable in places, although these were mainly those where it attracted any prurient interest I might have in learning about the far too many innocent men who have been sentenced to death and executed against all reason. 
If you have already read several books on death penalty issues, I think that you can safely give this one a miss. This is a shame as at least two of the writers are people whose work I admire very much.

This book (ISBN: 0-385-72211-7) is published by Anchor Books